Electric switch.



BEST VILBLE COPY F. P. GATES.

i ELECTRIC SWITCH. APPLICATION man SEPT. 23. |913.

19134332. Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

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UMTED STATES; PATENT OFFICE EnEDEBIC r. GATES, or HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, Assioma Torna annow nLEC'raiC CQMPANY, 0F HRTFOBDQCONNECTIGUT, A C0B?0MTIQ.N 0F CONNECTIGUT.

annoiato swrren.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERIC P. Gams,

- a citizen of the United States of America,

and residing'at Hartford, in the' county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric4 Switches, of which the following is a specification.

strong and eliicient in operation.

In the accompanying drawing, Fi i e 1 is a vertical section 4ofsaf'slamp soc et -in which my improved switch is embodied in one form; Fig. 2 is a plan of thelower in sulating Dutton showing the switch mechanism in position; Fig. 3' is a side elevation of the switch mechanism partl in section; Fig. 4 is a vertical section on t e line 4 4, Fig. 3. Fig.` 5` is a. viewsimilar to Fig. 4 with the vswitch piece in another position.

The socket here shown com risesl the usual shell 5 and cap 6 with ins ating lining 7 within which are arran ed ,the'porcelain buttons A and B unite in well understod manner by'v screwbolts 8 and 9 passing therethrough. These buttons are recessed on their meeting faces to form a4 switch chamber 1() in which the `switch mechanism hereafter described is arranged..v Current is led to the socket through the wire terminals 11 and 12 mounted lon the button B. Terminal 11 is in constant' electrical connection with the socket center con-- tact 1 3 by 'means of the rivet 14 which passes throu h and secures their respective utton B. The other terminal 12 clamps in position the s ring switch terminal 15 which-.extends t erefrom to one side of the switch chamber. The-.second springl switch terminal 16 is provided with a shank lying in the groove 17 in theside f of the buttonV B and' angled beneath the base of the shell contact 18 of the socket to which it is electrically connected by the bolt 9.

The switch niece 19-comprises a bar of angled metal, the ends of which engage be- Speci-cation of Letters Iatent. 4ApplicationV leid September 23, 1,913. Serial No. 791,311.

-the coil spring 27 engage Patented Apr, 6, 1915@ tween and spreadv the Vswitch terminals, 15 i and 16 1n "on" position of the switch. It

is loosely mounted on the spindle 20 which 1sl Journaled in the upri hts 21-22 of the switch frame and rotate y in either direction by the thumb key 23. A screw 2 4 threaded into the base of the switch frame holds the latter rigid on the button A. Fast on the spindle 2O is a yoke 25 and the ends 26 of opposite sides of the yoke and also of t` e switch piece 19. Lugs 2.8 may be angled from the body of the latter to serve "as abutments for the springends. Detent shoulders 29, 30 are formed on opposite sides of the axis of the switch piece to coperatie, with the detentv bars 31, 32 sliding in the uprights of the frame and serving to 'temporarily restrain the switch piece during the partial rotation of the yoke 25 by the switch key 23 wherehy the spring 2T is -put under tension. A cam rib 33 rotating with the switch spindle engages notches 1n the .dotant bars and moves the latter into and out of stop position.. In position ofv rest both detents 31 and 32 project through theupright 22 int l the-path ofthe detent shoulders 29 and 30 on the switch piece. These shoulders are of such extent and the detents are so arranged, that the latter lie in substantial engagement either with both' sides of one shoulder or between circumferentially adjacent sides of the opposite shoulders. Consequently in whichever direction the switch spindle is rotated the switch bar isl temporarily restrained by one or the other of the datent bars. As the'spindle rotates, the ca m rib 33 moves one or the other of the detent bars out of the path of the switch piece, de

pending-upon the direction of rotation. The

in excess of the arcuate movement o the lswitch piece, on a change of positiony of the latter, the spindle iS rotated slightly in a Areverse direction on the release of 'the key 23, and the effect of this return move- `movement ofthe yoke 25 being slightly i ment is to throwA the freeing detent out j break is wide, and its Operationrertain since the retents are in constant .engagement with the rib 33 and their position thuis posi:

. tively. controlled. 'llhe mechanism may be assembled on its frame before bein mounted on the button A, and this Simp es the assembly of parts in the manufacture of the device, while the switch parts as a whole are "few and simple to make.

Various modifications` of the construction' will readily suggest themselves and the details shown are to be regarded as merely an exemplary embodiment of my invention.

I claim as my invention p 1. ln an electric switch, the combination of a rotatable spindle, a switch piece freely journaled thereon, a pair of detents normally engaging the same to temporarily restrain said switch piece upon the rotation of said spindle, cam means moving with the spindle and engagin the latter longitudina ly of the spindle, said cam means bein yof a contour such that it'y moves one of sai detente out of engagement with the switch piece after partial rotation of the spindle, while maintaining the other in engagin position at the moment of the escape of t e switch piece, a switch spring and means for placin the spring under tension on the rotation o the switchyspindle.

In an electric switch, the combination vof a switch' frame, a switch spindle jour- 3. In an electric switch, the combination I of a switch frame, a spindle journaled therein and rotatably in either direction, a switch piece freely journaled on said spindle, a

said detents to move 7 taining 'the other in stop Meeren n switchV o erating 'spring detente slidably mounted gn said frame and movable longitudinally of said spindle, and cam means moving with said-spindle and engaging said detents to monejnne of the latter out of' operative engagement with the switch piece while maintaining the other in position to halt the switch ieee upon the partial rotation of the spin e in eitherdirection.

4. lln'an electric switch the combination of a switch spindle and a switch piece mounted thereonlhaving arcuate detent engaging shoulders, a' switch operating spring, a pair of detente movable longitudinally of the spindle and spaced apart to embrace one of said arcuate shoulders in one position of the switch and to engage circumferentially adjacent faces of saidy shoulders in the other position of the switch, together with cam means on the spindle for moving one of said detents out of engaging position while mainosition on the artial rotation of the spin le in either direction.

5. iin an electric switch, the combination of a switch spindle rotatable in either direction and aV switch piece mounted thereon pair of' stops on opposite sides of having a its axis, and a pair of detente, means for operating the same to successively engage iirst on oppositesides of one stop and then between circumferentially adJacent faces of both stops on successive positions of the switch piece.

lln testimony whereof ll havesigned my name to this speciiication, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses l f FREDERKC l?. GATES.

R. Hann, Gao. .es Gan'rnman.

Witnesses 

